This invention relates generally to bulk material containers and more particularly to a new and novel bottom unloading bulk material container having a unique deformable bottom which aids in unloading the material positioned within the container.
In the packaging of bulk materials such as chemical catalyst products or other materials, it is becoming more and more desirable to package the bulk product in large bulk containers which are capable of handling bulk products weighing in the range of 1300 to 2000 pounds. Such large bulk containers can vary in size from a cube approximately three feet square to an extremely large bulk container that may be 6 or more feet high having a base approximately 4 foot by 4 foot designed to fit on a pallet.
The unloading of bulk containers such as before-mentioned becomes a problem due to the extreme large size of the containers and the weight contained therein and many solutions to the problem of unloading have been attempted with the purpose of being able to quickly unload either the entire contents of the container or a portion of the container contents with means being provided to stop the flow of materials from the container after a given amount has been emptied.
Inasmuch as bottom unloading from these large bulk containers is highly desirable, one commonly utilized type of bottom unloader is typified by the U.S. Pat. No. 3,904,105, issued Sept. 9, 1975, to V. S. Booth and assigned to Olinkraft, Inc., West Monroe, Louisiana. This container utilizes a large two-cell shell structure having a top and bottom cap in combination with a pull plate allowing bottom dumping through a hole contained in the bottom cap of the container. This structure, while satisfactory for the material usually contained in the container, to wit peanuts, would not be satisfactory for many other types of products such as chemical catalysts or other materials where dumping conditions require a better flow from the bottom of the container than can be achieved with this type of a design.
It is known also in bottom dispensing bulk containers to provide a false sloped floor in the bottom portion of the container as typified by the U.S. Pat. No. 2,894,666, issued July 14, 1959 to C. N. Cambell, Jr. for the express purpose of aiding in the flow of the material from the bottom opening in the container. Such false floor, while satisfactory for the given product design, would add greatly to the cost of the container and would require more set-up time for the container, as well as requiring inventory storage of the false floor parts to be placed within the container. It is also known in bottom dumping containers to provide trap-door features in the bottom of the container which are cut open allowing the trap door to swing downwardly so that the product can be dumped from the bottom through the trap door opening. A typical container such as this is shown in the U.S. Pat. No. 3,972,454, issued Aug. 3, 1976, to T. E. Croley and assigned to Comco, Inc., Worthington, Ohio. Containers of this type generally are utilized with a special pallet having an opening in the center portion thereof through which the material can be poured into a receiving bin. It is felt that problems would be encountered in removal of the contents of the product from this type of container and in addition, flow control, if desired, would not be available since the container is designed for entire dumping at one time. In addition, this container would be more costly to manufacture than the applicants' invention and would require much more set-up time for the container as well as requiring special pallets having center holes built into them.
Other known methods of bulk packaging have been utilized such as packaging the material in fiber drums, depending upon the product and application. Such packages generally waste extreme amounts of space in the storage facility prior to dumping and also require excessive time and/or labor to fill, move and store. The unloading of these packages into the user's reactor vessel also generally is a time consuming process which cannot be tolerated in today's fast moving marketplace.